Opening Statements Begin in Zimmerman Trial

The two eventually got into a struggle and Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest with his 9mm handgun. He was charged 44 days after the shooting, only after a special prosecutor was appointed to review the case and after protests.

“I ask that you pray for me and my family because I don’t want any other mothers to have to experience what I’m going through now,” said Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, shortly before the start of opening statements.

Two police dispatch phone calls will be important evidence for both sides’ cases.

The first is a call Zimmerman made to a nonemergency police dispatcher as he followed Martin walking through his gated community. At one point, the dispatcher tells Zimmerman he doesn’t need to be following Martin.

The second 911 call captures screams from the confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin. Martin’s parents said the screams are from their son while Zimmerman’s father contends they belong to his son.

Nelson ruled last weekend that audio experts for the prosecution won’t be able to testify that the screams belong to Martin, saying the methods the experts used were unreliable.